Your guide to Plusnet broadband
Dan Howdle
Why choose Plusnet broadband?
- Cheap broadband packages – With relatively low prices (starting from £24.99 per month) and fibre optic speeds now up to 910Mbps, Plusnet offers excellent value for money and a particularly wide range of options
- Mostly broadband only – This is only a positive if you don't need a landline, but increasingly most users don't. So, if you'd rather not pay for a call plan, Plusnet is one of an growing number of providers that mostly only offers broadband only packages. If you do want to switch to Plusnet, but still need a landline, you'll have to add it on.
- Plusnet Reward Card – You can sometimes find broadband deals offered with a Plusnet Reward Card, which can be spent online or at most high street shops that accept Mastercard
- 24-month contracts – Plusnet has moved from 12-month to 24-month contracts, meaning you won't need to worry about having to switch, or the price increasing too heavily for a few years. Unfortunately, the company no longer offers month-to-month short term contracts
- Unlimited usage on all packages – All Plusnet’s residential packages come with unlimited usage, so there'll be nothing to limit your online fun
- A UK-based customer service team – Plusnet provides an impressive customer support service between 8am and 8pm, every day of the week and its offices are based in the UK. It has also been formally recognised for its support services and has won many customer service awards
Pros and cons
Reasons to buy
- Cheap broadband packages
- Plusnet Reward Card on some packages
- 24-month contracts
- Award-winning UK-based customer service
Reasons to avoid
- Very basic packages with few extras
- No option for TV bundles
- Free online security included
- Not the provider to go for if you need a landine
What does Plusnet broadband offer?
Plusnet supplies a free router with its broadband packages, and, unlike some providers, there's no activation charge. Most packages can be bundled with a home phone, but by default all packages are offered as broadband-only. Unfortunately, Plusnet doesn’t offer any TV bundles, so you'll have to use streaming services via a smart TV if that TV is important to you.
- Plusnet ADSL broadband – Plusnet’s ADSL package offers average speeds of 10Mbps, and unlike their other broadband deals, it comes bundled with a home phone as standard, meaning you get pay-as-you-go calls. It is now only available to customers who cannot get fibre where they live (around 0.2% of UK households)
- Plusnet Fibre broadband – The provider now offers only one FTTC package (that's 'Fibre to the Cabinet', meaning some old fashioned copper phone lines are still involved). Speeds average out at about 50Mbps. Pricing is the same, regardless of the speed you can get, and, unusually, there's no phone line available unless there are exceptional circumstances
- Plusnet Full Fibre broadband – Plusnet's Full Fibre packages utilise Openreach's FTTP network. That's 'Fibre to the Property', meaning the connection to your home is entirely made up by fibre optic cables, so it's capable of very, very high speeds. Five flavours are available, ranging from a quite respectable 74Mbps, all the way up to a staggering 910Mbps – enough for almost any likely domestic or small business use
Can I get Plusnet broadband in my area?
Plusnet’s services are available in most areas, but naturally they vary from area to area. You can use our checker at the top of the page to see if it’s on offer where you are. Just insert your postcode and we will give you a list of deals to choose from.
Check Plusnet in my area
What is Plusnet broadband?
Plusnet is known for offering some of the cheapest broadband deals on the market and provides a variety of packages to suit each household. The company was set up in Sheffield in 1997 and was acquired by BT in 2007. However, it is operated as a wholly separate business, so often its broadband deals are quite different from BT’s, which usually means they're cheaper. Plusnet launched its ADSL fibre broadband service in 2012 and its full fibre FTTP packages in 2022.
Like most of the UK’s broadband providers, Plusnet runs its services across the Openreach broadband network. As a result, switching to Plusnet broadband should be a pretty seamless process, unless you don’t already have a phone line or are switching from Virgin Media, which runs on its own separate network. Find out more in our Plusnet broadband review.
